1. Definition of Philosophy – Philos, Sophia, Darshana, etc.
According to Encyclopædia
Britannica, philosophy is the critical examination of the grounds for
fundamental beliefs and an analysis of the basic concepts employed in the expression
of such beliefs. Philosophical inquiry is a central element in the intellectual
history of many historical civilizations.[1]
The English word ‘philosophy’ has
its root in the Greek term – ‘philo–sophia’. The term ‘philo’ refers to ‘love’
and ‘sophia’ refers to wisdom (human reason). The Greek terms can be literally
translated in English as “love of wisdom” or “love of human judgment and
discrimination.” The introduction of the terms "philosopher" and
"philosophy" has been ascribed to the Greek thinker Pythagoras.
Philosophy is divided into many
sub-fields. These include epistemology, logic, metaphysics, ethics, and
aesthetics.
From the Indian viewpoint, the
word ‘philosophy’ suggests “observing and surveying" the existence.
In Sanskrit, the philosophy is
referred to as ‘darshana’. The Sanskrit
word ‘darshana’ has its root in the word ‘drs’ that means ‘to see’, ‘to look’
or ‘to view’. “Seeing” or “viewing” the reality and the facts of experience
forms the basis of philosophy. Senses, mind and even consciousness are involved
in this ‘seeing’. “Seeing” also encompasses “contemplation”. Seeing is not
simply a sensory activity. ‘Seeing’ may primarily be a perceptual observation.
But it may also concern the conceptual knowledge or an intuitional flash. Thus 'darshana' suggests vision. In other
words, ‘darshana’ is a whole view revealed to the inner self, what we term as
the soul or the spirit or the inner being.
Philosophy or ‘darshana’ is concerned with the vision of ‘truth and
reality’.
In Sanskrit, the ‘philosophy’ is also referred
to as ‘tatva’. The Sanskrit word ‘tatva’ is concerned with ‘the nature of
reality.’
In India, the philosophy is not
restricted to the intellectual pursuit. According to Indian view, the word
'philosophy' is concerned with ‘the
revelation of the nature of reality'
or ‘the vision of Ultimate Truth
and Reality’.
In a more simple sense, philosophy
is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with
reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.[2] The
philosophy is concerned with the understanding of the life and the
universe. It is aimed at comprehending
the nature of existence. Philosophy is a human endeavor that leads to the
Ultimate Truth.
1. "philosophy" Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite. (Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2012). (CD-ROM).
2. Jenny Teichmann and Katherine C. Evans, Philosophy: A Beginner's Guide (Blackwell Publishing, 1999), 1.
2. Jenny Teichmann and Katherine C. Evans, Philosophy: A Beginner's Guide (Blackwell Publishing, 1999), 1.